UTA In The News — Friday, July 28, 2017

Osteoporosis grant

Rhonda Prisby, a UTA associate professor of kinesiology, has received a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a device to fight osteoporosis, Scienmag reported.

Math prof earns certificate

James Alvarez, UTA associate professor of mathematics, received the Certificate of Meritorious Service from the Mathematical Association of America at its national convention in Chicago this week. Alvarez was one of five mathematics professors from around the country honored for being an outstanding educator.

Nursing doctorate tops

Best College Values listed UTA’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program one of the nation’s top 50, many news outlets, including WVIR NBC 29 in Charlottesville, Va., KPLC NBC 7 in Lake Charles, La., and WBOY NBC 12 in Clarksburg, W.Va., reported.

Concussion research

The research on concussions in youth by Cynthia Trowbridge, a UTA associate professor of kinesiology, was published in many news outlets, including the San Antonio Express-News, Arizona Daily Star and the Idaho Press. Trowbridge said parents need to know that brain injuries can occur in many ways.

Lifetime achievement

Robert Gatchel, UTA Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Nancy P. and John G. Penson Endowed Professor of Clinical Psychology, received the 2017 Gold Medal for Life from the American Psychological Foundation. The award recognizes distinguished contributions to psychology.

Fake news detection

Chengkai Li, a UTA associate professor of computer science and engineering, is fighting fake news, numerous outlets, including First Bell and Texas Standard, reported. Together with Christoph Csallner, a UTA associate professor of computer science, and Mark Tremayne, a UTA assistant professor of communications, Li will design an algorithm to spot fake news.

Compact laser

Weidong Zhou, a UTA electrical engineering professor, was featured in the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ The Institute for his design of a compact, high-power semiconductor laser.

YouTube TV

Bart Weiss, UTA associate professor of art and art history, was interviewed by the Dallas Observer about the launch of YouTube TV in 10 markets, including Dallas. He said he believes YouTube TV is targeting young cord cutters with its digital TV service.

Alumnus named VP

Chris Andrews has been named vice president for information technology for Pei Wei, The Daily Meal reported. Andrews holds a master’s degree in professional accounting from UTA.

Emergency drill

UTA will conduct a multi-agency emergency preparedness exercise designed to gauge campus-wide plans to quickly respond to a threat to campus, the Arlington Voice reported. The drill will involve participants from the UTA Police Department, the Arlington Police and Fire Departments and other agencies.

SnapRyde has UTA origin

SnapRyde, the social car-sharing app, which launched on the UTA campus in March 2016, was featured in the The Badger Herald. Alumnus Mayank Jain developed the app while he was a student.

Trump, McCain feud

Allen Saxe, UTA associate professor of political science, said in an interview on WTKS 1290 AM in Savannah, Ga., that bad blood between President Trump and Sen. John McCain may have influenced McCain’s decision to cast the deciding vote that kept the Affordable Health Care act from being partially repealed. He recalled that during the presidential campaign, Trump had said that McCain was not a war hero.